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TThe large-scale steel testing frame will be used in all aspects of structural testing and will assist in both teaching and research. The equipment can be used to demonstrate compression, tension, shear and bending behaviors of structural components.

"I think this allows us to give back to the community," said John Schuepbach, president of Trans-Tex Fabricating. "It's a unique structure that not many universities have, so these students will be exposed to structural testing in real-world applications in addition to the theories they are learning in books."

The donation will help improve the skill sets of about 100 civil engineering students taking classes involving steel structures, concrete structures and material of solids.

"We now have a large-scale loading frame that will allow us to have the full capability of a typical structure laboratory," said Mijia Yang, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering. "These are the same components that you would find at schools like UT Austin, Texas A&M and Georgia Tech."